


Honey and Apple

by Rahenna



Series: Ace of Hearts [8]
Category: Gakuen Heaven 2 ~Double Scramble~
Genre: Age Difference, M/M, Morning After, Secret Relationship, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-11
Updated: 2015-04-11
Packaged: 2018-03-22 07:32:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3720397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rahenna/pseuds/Rahenna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The real morning-after story. Breakfast is sweet, but understanding is sweeter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Honey and Apple

**Author's Note:**

> Contains spoilers for Gakuen Heaven 2. If you intend to play the game yourself, reading this may ruin your fun a bit. :)
> 
> Originally posted here:  
> [Adults Always Lie](http://heaven.neo-romance.net/lies/)
> 
> If you want to know more about the Gakuen Heaven series, please visit my fansite for game translations and summaries:  
> [welcome to Heaven](http://heaven.neo-romance.net/)

**Sunday, July 2, 2017**

_Is he still asleep?_

I cracked open the bathroom door and peered out at the bed and its remaining occupant. Asahina had hardly moved since I got up, still lying on his stomach, face turned away from the bathroom, with his shoulders peeking out from under the blanket. His slender arms hugged the pillow gently, and if I held my breath, I could hear the quiet not-quite snore of a deep sleep.

It was still early, and I didn't want to wake him with the whine of the blow dryer. I settled for a rougher than usual towel dry and a quick comb to at least get my hair parted in the right place. With that, I crept from the bathroom, footsteps almost silent on the bare floor, and rescued a wrinkled outfit from the laundry basket - clean, of course, just never put away. It wasn't like me, but with all the recent fuss at the school, it was amazing that I'd even managed to get anything washed. It had all probably been sitting in the basket for weeks by now.

I straightened up, clothes draped over my arm, and caught sight of Asahina again. Still asleep, still in that same comfortable position, like he belonged there. Suddenly my heart was in my throat, mouth dry at the sight of that beautiful white skin, those smooth shoulders that reflected the early morning light.

_This is a disaster._

I hurried from the room and dressed quickly. Asahina would be surprised by the choice of outfit, dark blue jeans and a close-fitting dress shirt with elbow-length sleeves, the kind that would be inappropriate to wear to work - a little too flattering.

_So you're dressing up for him now?_

"Shut up," I muttered, and made my way to the kitchen to brew some coffee. Morning routine was usually coffee, cigarettes, and the paper out on the balcony - shared, if someone had slept over. With Asahina still asleep and the newspaper subscription lapsed while I'd been away, I'd have to settle for coffee and grading papers at the breakfast table.

There wasn't much left to grade, and I wondered if I would finish before Asahina got up. In that case, I would go wake him; I couldn't have him lying around in bed all day.

_You shouldn't have him lying around in bed at all._

It was far too late to do anything about that. I didn't have a time machine, and even if I did, maybe I'd let things go for a little longer before making any move to change it. Everything in my life had always been so strictly controlled, first by my parents and then by the rules I'd imposed upon myself. I'd played the good son as much as possible so I could get away with choosing a peasant's career, as my brother liked to call it. Maybe I'd swung too far to the other side now, still riding the high of my own freedom. It had been so close all along, if only I'd had the courage to reach for it.

Asahina was the one who'd inspired me to grasp it with my own hands.

_Stop. Just stop. Grade the papers._

I'd finished most of the ultimate level grading in the staff room during my planning periods. It was amazing how much could get done without the additional work of the assistant director's position hanging over me. It wasn't long before I was faced with a pile of quiz papers from the regular class. Asahina's was in there. That would be fine if I could dispassionately mark the errors and scribble a few corrections, but Asahina had a habit of adding unnecessary comments when he was unsure about something. Which was often.

Every time his appeared at the top of the pile, I moved it back down into the stack. Before long, I was running out of papers, and maybe patience as well. Did Yagami really think that he could draw whatever he wanted on the graph and I wouldn't notice? _Do not draw suggestive shapes on your quiz paper,_ I noted. And Kasahara had answered exactly the right number of questions to get an average grade, while leaving all the others blank. How long was he going to keep pretending? I sighed and wrote _I should give you a better score for calculating the average so accurately._

Finally I had no choice but to grade Asahina's quiz. If I could just stay focused, it would only take a few minutes.

The first few problems were simple, and he'd solved them correctly and without any extra notes. That was surprising, considering the face he'd made while I'd gone over factoring in class. And he'd done nothing but chatter away during our tutoring sessions, but it seemed like at least some small part of it had stuck in his mind.

His graph was... well, it wasn't wholly inappropriate like Yagami's, but that didn't make it any less wrong. Under it, he'd written _I think this should be a straight line? But I couldn't make it work. Sorry, I don't really get it..._

I added my own comment. _If you don't understand, ask for tutoring. Don't wait until it's going to affect your grade and write useless comments on your test papers._

Too harsh? It was too late now, red ink stark against the white paper. How many times had I told him to stop adding random comments to his tests? If he wanted to make inane comments, he could make them to my face during tutoring.

Tutoring. I set down my pen and rested my elbow on the table, then leaned my forehead on the back on my hand. If Asahina was serious about tutoring and improving his study skills, I wouldn't deny him. But if he just wanted to hang around and chatter aimlessly, taking up time that we both could be putting to better use-

_Spending time together is a good use, isn't it?_

_No. No, it's not. Not at school._

There would have to be rules, carefully chosen and followed, if this was going to continue.

_How on earth can I allow this to continue?!_

But with my eyes closed, I could still see his face, those green eyes slightly narrowed and glittering with determination when he'd run out on stage in front of everyone to oppose me. And later, after it was all over and I'd run off to lick my wounds in solitude, he'd hunted me down. Only that time his eyes were shining with unshed tears, cheeks pinked by concern instead of anger. Strong, but soft. Brave, but kind.

Yuki. _Courage._ Had his personality been molded by his name, or had his parents known that there was something special about their child?

I didn't want to hurt him. Maybe I already had.

I sighed again, writing the grade at the top of his paper - eighty percent, a marked increase from the last unannounced quiz - and tucked it back into the pile. Just as I was about to push back my chair to go and rouse Asahina, I heard the familiar sound of the bathroom door, followed by the quiet hiss of the shower. So he was finally up. Knowing Asahina, he'd be ravenous by the time he finished washing up, and to be honest, I was getting a bit hungry myself.

_I wonder if there's anything worth eating here. It's been a while._

A quick search of the pantry confirmed that there wasn't much to choose from, but since everything I kept at the apartment was fine for long-term storage, it wasn't hopeless. As long as Asahina didn't mind a simple breakfast of oatmeal with dried fruit and honey, plus a pot of black tea, it would be good enough.

_Good enough._

Our secrecy had to be more than just good enough. We'd have to be careful from now on. Rules had to be made and agreed upon, the first of which was no physical contact on school grounds. And no special treatment in class. Everything had to be normal, with nothing outside the usual contact that would be expected between teacher and student. Well, maybe a bit extra, since it was reasonable for the student council president to consult with the assistant director.

_Except you're not the assistant director right now._

I wasn't sure if I felt disappointment or relief.

I mentally added to the list as I prepared breakfast, absently chopping the dried fruit while waiting for the water to boil. I'd have to give him my phone number, but there would have to be limits on that too. Was it more or less incriminating to ask him not to put my real name in the list of contacts? I dumped the oatmeal and fruit into the water, stirring while I considered it. Maybe I shouldn't give him the number after all. But then he might be tempted to send something inappropriate to my work email. That would be a thousand times worse, considering that Kasahara could access all of my accounts without me ever knowing. And that was fair; with my history and family connections, I'd think him a fool if he didn't check now and then, ensuring that my sudden cooperation was genuine.

Asahina made his appearance before the food was ready, surprising me a little. I'd thought him to be the kind who liked to linger in the shower, enjoying the comfortable warmth of the hot water and steam. He was wearing the pants from his uniform, but since his shirt and jacket were out in the living room, he'd put on one of my shirts instead. It was one of my favorites, a jewel toned green with subtle pinstripes that was form-fitting on my body, but baggy on Asahina's slim frame. The sleeves were too long, leaving only his fingers peeking out from the cuffs, and the bottom hem reached to the middle of his thighs.

That powerful visual reminder that he was young and small sparked something in me, an urge to hold and shelter him, but also to possess him. I just stared as he approached with a shy but warm smile on his lips. It seemed only natural that Asahina wormed his way into my arms without hesitation, tilting his face up expectantly. The top buttons of the shirt had been left undone, revealing a stretch of smooth, pink skin that had a faint sheen of dampness.

My mouth went dry again.

"Good morning, Professor," he murmured, reaching up with both hands to pet my cheeks with his fingertips. My skin tingled at his touch, and as if sensing that, Asahina's cheeks colored. A quiet giggle escaped his lips, sweet and gentle at the same time.

"I can't believe it," Asahina breathed, eyelids fluttering shut.

What else was I supposed to do, charmed like that, but kiss him? His slender body was almost hot against mine, probably still overheated from the shower. We were wreathed by the subtle perfume of my own soap and shampoo, and other faint scents that took me a moment to place.

I pulled away, and Asahina made a little sound of dissatisfaction, lips pressing together. I sniffed at him again, confirming it. "Asahina, did you use my moisturizer?"

His cheeks darkened. "U- um... well... you always smell so nice, so I checked everything on the vanity until I found it..."

That he had remembered and searched out such a subtle scent was surprising; just how close, physically, had I allowed myself to get to him during our tutoring sessions? But the mental image of Asahina opening and sniffing everything on the counter made me smile. If anyone else had dared to mess with my personal things, or squeeze into my favorite shirt, my reaction might have been very different.

"You used too much." I pressed my finger to his cheek and rubbed from his nose toward the edge of his face, scraping off some of the excess. "A little goes a long way." To prove my point, I applied the excess to the skin under my eyes. Asahina probably had a very expensive face right now. I tried not to sigh.

"S- sorry! I just wanted to... a- anyway! I was just surprised that there was so much stuff in there! There was moisturizer, and eye cream, and cologne, and stuff for shaving, and even a lip scrub... it reminds me of my mom's side of the vanity at home."

I laughed and released him, turning back to the oatmeal to give it a stir. "Asahina, did you just accuse me of using as much makeup as your mother?"

"T- that's not..."

"Shh," I reached out to smooth my hand over his short, messy hair. It was clear that even with all the other things he'd tested out in his exploration of the bathroom, my hairbrush hadn't been one of them. Or maybe it had, but it just wasn't up to the task of taming Asahina's cowlicks. "It's probably true. But youth will betray us all soon enough. I'm just trying to be prepared."

"I don't think you need to worry." He edged closer, peering at the side of my face. "I really like how you look right now."

My skin tingled. _I hope I didn't just blush._ "If you like how I look now, then you'll be happy to know that I'm doing my best to preserve that look. We can't all be effortlessly beautiful youths."

"You don't have to worry," Asahina repeated, but he didn't argue. Instead, he peered into the pot, sniffing. His head was right under my face, hair still slightly damp even though he'd used the blow dryer, so I ended up with a noseful of my own shampoo. "Ooh, is that oatmeal with honey and cinnamon? And those little bits are dried apple, right? I didn't know you could cook!"

I snorted, amused. "This can hardly be called cooking, Asahina. Anyone can do this much."

"Really?" He didn't seem to agree. "Can I help?"

"Well," I gestured toward the electric kettle, "you could make the tea."

"Okay!" He grabbed the kettle and went to the sink to fill it. "Where's the teapot?"

"The cupboard in the corner, it's on the bottom shelf." The poor thing was probably covered in dust by now; I preferred coffee myself.

"Wow, this is a really nice teapot! And these cups, too... this stuff probably cost a fortune!"

I glanced over at the teaset as he pulled it from the cupboard. "Probably not, it was just a birthday gift from my mother a few years back." Asahina didn't need to know it was the last one I'd ever received from her. More recently my birthday was acknowledged with a token card containing a curt message or, if I was 'lucky,' an awkward phone call so she could scold me more directly.

Asahina didn't pick up on the meaning behind my comment and proceeded to make the tea. Somehow he felt the need to narrate every step of the process. "Hmm, so about this much tea into the strainer... then add the water and wait about four minutes..."

"Right," I agreed, figuring it was better to let him go on about nothing for now than to address any serious issues. Besides, I needed to keep an eye on the oatmeal, which was now in that dubious state between not quite ready and scorched beyond recognition. No wonder the box in the pantry had been nearly full; I'd forgotten how much babysitting it needed.

"Do you have any milk?"

"Hmm? What for?"

"I like milk tea," he answered, sounding almost defensive. "Is that okay?"

I couldn't help smiling; did he really think I'd find him childish for liking tea with a bit of milk? "Anything you like is fine. Unfortunately, I don't bring perishables here unless I know I'll use them up, so we'll have to drink it black. You can add sugar, though, it's in the pantry."

"Hmm," Asahina made a little sound of dissatisfaction and went to find the sugar.

After another minute or two, it seemed like the oatmeal was ready. I turned off the stove and retrieved two bowls from the cupboard, dividing the oatmeal evenly between them. As expected, there was a strange sticky mass glued to the bottom of the pot, and I took care to make none of it escaped into the food. Moments later, the tea timer beeped, and Asahina pulled the strainer out and added what looked like an unnecessarily large amount of sugar to the teapot. I winced, but bit my tongue.

"Ready!" He picked up the teapot and headed for the breakfast table.

"Not there, I'm still working." I pointed toward the couch instead. "Put everything on the coffee table, we can sit on the couch and eat."

"Okaaaay," he agreed, and the brightness of his smile at such a simple suggestion tugged at my heart. Was it really such a treat to sit together? With the way he almost bounced across the room to set down the teapot, it seemed so.

Asahina waited for me to place the bowls on the table and sit down, then he settled down right beside me, leaning his head on my shoulder. I glanced down at him. A warm blush colored his pale cheeks, and his hands were clasped tightly in his lap as if unsure of what to do with them. Bold and timid at the same time. The passing of time and the morning sunlight filling the apartment had stifled his bravery a little.

I slid my arm around his back, settling it on his opposite hip. Asahina made a small noise and wiggled like a happy dog wagging its tail, letting out a contented sigh.

It was a comfortable moment. For a few seconds, I forgot that he was just a first year student, an innocent boy who I had no business spending time with. Instead, he was a young man who loved me, who wore my shirts and shared my bed, with a warm smile and affectionate nature. And I shouldn't have loved him, but deep down, I didn't regret it.

And then a strange noise cut through that comfortable moment.

Asahina giggled. "Sorry, I got hungry... the food's right there, so of course my stomach reacted."

"You're impossible, Asahina," I muttered, but I was smiling as I released him and leaned forward to grab the bowls from the table. "Careful, it's a bit hot."

"Right." He accepted the bowl and took a big spoonful, sighing with something like relief as he began his first meal of the day. He was half done with the oatmeal by the time he was able to make himself set it back down. He turned to look at me, eyes shining as a smile came to his lips. "Um... you look really nice today. I've never seen you in your casual clothes before." He looked me up and down, biting his lower lip.

"Not what you expected?" I couldn't help teasing him, not with those small spots of pink high on his cheeks. "Did you imagine a closet full of gloomy colors and unflattering cuts?"

"Well, yes," he admitted. "B- but I don't mean it like that! I like what you wear to school too, but this is, well, it's a _lot_ nicer. I'm happy that I get to see it..." His eyes drifted back up toward my face. "And your hair all messy like that, it's kind of cute."

Why was I the one being called cute all of a sudden? I reached up without thinking to smooth the worst of it back into place, though I knew it wouldn't stay. "I didn't want to wake you up, so I couldn't dry it properly, that's all."

"Ehehe, Professor Sakaki, are you blushing?"

"No. I don't blush," I lied.

"Hmm, really? Because your face is getting all red."

"It's not," I insisted, angling my face away. "You should eat before your oatmeal gets cold."

"Okay," he agreed, though his tone was somewhat flat. We ate without talking for several minutes, with nothing but the clank of silverware and the rattle of teacups to break the silence. As expected, Asahina finished first, and he sat fidgeting on the couch until I was done.

I leaned forward, intending to gather the dishes and carry them back to the kitchen, but a warm hand touched my shoulder. "Um, wait."

"What is it, Asahina?"

He looked at me, a tender smile on his lips. "Stay with me. You don't have to clean up right away, do you? I'm happy just sitting together." His eyes went to the dishes on the coffee table. "And you made breakfast for me. It was the first time I've ever eaten something you cooked."

I settled back into the white cushions, cheeks tingling again. "It was nothing. There honestly isn't anything else here to eat, so I just did the best I could with what was available."

"But you still did it. And it was delicious, I'm happy that we could eat together like this... here in your private apartment." Asahina's cheeks were turning pink. "I never imagined something like this could happen to me. It's like a dream."

I stretched out one hand to ruffle his already messy hair. "Only you would be happy about eating expired oatmeal with a few scraps of apple thrown in."

He shook his head, dislodging my hand. "That's not it at all. I'm happy about so many things. For a long time, I thought you were some sort of enemy I had to overcome, but you were on our side all along. I thought you were hard to talk to, and kind of mean, but you were just hurting. When you finally told me all those things... Well, of course I was sad to hear a story like that, but I also felt really close to you."

Asahina paused and looked at me as if awaiting some sort of response. "You're always saying that," I offered, hoping that would satisfy his need for a reply.

 _You seem so distant,_ he'd said, more than once, and I knew he was referring to my emotional distance from the school and everything related, including the students. It was only self-defense, a survival technique, and everyone else had seemed content to accept it as what it seemed to be on the surface: an unfriendly, harsh personality. Only Asahina had seen through the facade, poking and prodding without hesitation, searching for the buried truth.

"But it's true. I wanted to see the real you, all of you, not just the little bits I could see sometimes. Because you'd smile every once in a while, and I could tell there was someone else there." His fingers brushed my cheeks. "I fell in love with that person, the one I could barely see."

"Asahina, that's not..." But I couldn't deny it. He'd seen right through me.

"And so, last night, that was the best time of my life ever so far. U- um, not just, you know," his face was turning red, "but all of it. Because it was really you the whole time. And after, when you told me you loved me too... I still can't believe it. I never thought I could feel so happy."

The magic of a first love. I knew the feeling well. But it was different from what I'd experienced in middle school, affection for a boy my own age, improper only because my family didn't approve. This, what was happening now, it was dangerous, foolish, and...

"Asahina, you're so confident, but you hardly know me."

"I know enough." His gaze was intense, and I couldn't look away. "I know you could be lying to me, but you're not. I can feel it. This is the real you."

I didn't realize how cold my hands were until he clasped them with his own, hot and slightly damp with a nervous sweat. Asahina looked like he wanted to say something else, but hesitated, biting his lip. I waited, knowing that he was gathering his courage and would speak once he was ready. It didn't take long before he spoke again, expression serious. "But I also know that I don't know enough. And I can only learn more about you if we spend more time together. It's selfish, but I want to be with you."

"Asahina--"

He shook his head and kept going, ignoring my words. "I know I'm asking you to do something dangerous, because if anyone found out, they'd blame you. You'd get forced out of your job, and maybe something even worse would happen." His eyes were bright with moisture. "I know how much you love teaching, especially now that I've heard the story of your friends, and I can't compare to that."

Asahina's fingers tightened around mine. "I've been thinking about it the whole time. How this is all because of me. I wanted to know more about you, and the more I learned, the closer I felt. I kept chasing after you because of how I felt, and I didn't think about how it could hurt you. I just wanted you to notice me, and to spend time with me. When I heard that you'd been fired, I was sure it was my fault." He wiped at one eye with the back of his hand. "And then..."

"I kissed you on the roof." It was a moment that would remain burned into my memory forever, one of the few times I'd allowed myself to give in to impulse. "That wasn't your fault."

"No, but it made me think, maybe it's possible. Maybe if I push hard enough, I can get what I want. So I did, and it happened. And now I'm so happy, I can't imagine going back to the way things were before." His eyes were narrowed in determination. "And I know it's selfish, and I'm asking too much, but I'll do _anything_. I know this has to be a secret and I'm asking you to risk everything, but please, let me be with you."

He closed his eyes, gripping my hands so tightly it almost hurt. "I want to be with you."

"Asahina..."

I was stunned, hearing those words from his mouth. I should have known that Asahina would understand the complexity of the situation. When it came to formulas and equations, he was often puzzled, but he grasped emotional problems almost instinctively. I thought he would be shallow, focused only on the thrill of something adult - which did seem to fascinate him - or the physical aspect, but I was wrong. Wrong again. Asahina wasn't that type of person, tricked into seeing only the surface of a deeper pool of meaning. Like he had when I'd told him about my past, he cut through it all with an awareness that went beyond that of most adults.

"Please," his eyes were bright, voice wavering just a bit, "let me prove myself. I know it's selfish, but give me a chance. I can protect you, I promised I would do it. Please don't..." Asahina lowered his eyes, shivering. "Don't push me away."

It stung that he felt he had to say something so pitiful. "I'm not going to push you away."

"But... you're in this mess because of me--"

"Shut up, Asahina." I reached out and pulled him to me, and he didn't resist. His body fell against mine, warm with the heat of his emotion, and I folded my arms around his small frame. I'd had other lovers who'd fished for affection with similar words, but I knew Asahina's fears were genuine, not meant as a cry for attention. "None of this is your fault. I'm the adult. I'm the one who should have known better. I knew what I was getting myself into and the risks I was taking."

"But--"

"It's my turn to protect you. You've already done more than enough." I gripped his shoulders and pushed him back; as expected, he was in tears, the tip of his nose bright red as his eyes watered. I hated seeing him upset, worried that he'd done something wrong, when he was blameless. I was the one responsible. I was the one who should have said no. I was the one who chose to indulge the feelings of love that his kindness had kindled in me.

I reached up to brush the moisture from his eye. "You're not selfish, and you're not unworthy. I'm the selfish one. You may have chased me, but I wanted to be caught. I wanted _you_ , and now that I've had you, I want you even more. You gave yourself to me, and instead of being satisfied, I want to hold on to you. Isn't that selfish?"

All he could do in response was blush, and I felt my own face getting hot. It was embarrassing to say something so direct, especially to a fifteen year old boy. But the way his face lit up with a smile that touched his eyes was like magic, transforming his worry to joy in an instant. I loved that gentle, honest face, so full of emotion.

"I won't give you up, Asahina. Not until you give up on me."

"I won't," he protested, words catching in his throat. "I can't..."

"I can't either." I caught his face in my hands, leaning close to press a kiss to his lips. They were sweet with honey and a hint of apple. His hands touched my sides, hot even through my clothing, and he sighed against my mouth. I could have devoured him right there in a repeat performance of the previous night, but I forced myself to pull away after a moment.

Asahina stared up at me, eyes half-shut, cheeks hot against my fingers. "Um..."

"Shh." I pressed a finger to his lips. "I'm going to clean up, and then we can take a nap."

He blinked and talked around my finger anyway. "A nap? But we just got up."

I pulled my hand away. "You just got up. I've been awake for at least an hour, and I didn't sleep well last night."

Asahina's cheeks pinked. "S- sorry..."

"That's not it. This can be the first new thing you learn about me, Asahina. I am not a morning person. Sunday mornings are for sleeping."

He made a face like he didn't believe me. "But you've never been late to class, and you don't seem sleepy in the mornings at all!"

"It's the magic of willpower and caffeine. And I'm completely out of both right now." I forced myself up from the couch, pressing one hand to my mouth to stifle a yawn. By the time I recovered, Asahina was already up and gathering the dishes.

He shook his head as I opened my mouth to protest. "I'll clean up. You go rest. I'll be there soon."

I was half-asleep by the time he joined me, snuggling first into the blanket, then into my arms. He did it so naturally, as if he belonged there, and I let him cuddle close without protest. We still needed to discuss and establish the rules of our relationship. But at that moment, all I wanted to do was hold Asahina's warmth to me and sleep, comforted by his presence.

~ end ~


End file.
